Search form

April 2013

You don’t have to tell us twice, we know robocalls are annoying. Our Robocall Challenge generated advice we wanted to share, from consumers who say they’re using certain tricks to stop these harassing calls now.

The FTC is always working to know more about the types of fraud being committed and who spends money on them. Consumers provide us with useful information through periodic surveys that ask them to share the important details about their recent marketplace experiences and a bit about themselves.

Thinking of recycling an old cell phone in honor of Earth Day? Before you do, you’ll want to delete any personal information stored on the device. That way, your emails, text messages, contacts, photos, and other personal information won’t fall into the wrong hands.

The FTC provides useful information to consumers, and consumers provide useful information right back through periodic surveys that ask them to share the important details about their recent marketplace experiences. Last year, we asked people about their experiences with 17 types of fraud, and learned that nearly 11 percent of US adults, or an estimated 25.6 million people, had paid for fraudulent products and services in 2011. Here’s what our researchers found...

Your mobile phone sets your home alarm system. Your tablet schedules the DVR in your bedroom TV. Your smart watch sends your blood pressure levels to your physician. Every day more and more consumer devices communicate with each other over the internet. Some people call this growing network the “Internet of Things.”

People have long complained about unauthorized charges — cramming — on the bills for their landlines. The FTC has responded loudly and clearly, bringing more than 30 cases, getting tens of millions of dollars back for consumers, and advocating for reforms to eliminate landline cramming. But fraudsters, trolling for new opportunities to cheat consumers, have found the bills for people's mobile devices to be fertile territory.

FTC staff has a proud history of collaborating with legal services and victims’ rights groups, sharing legal resources and information and training hundreds of advocates throughout the country about a number of important consumer protection issues. Along the way, we’ve gotten many questions about how to help people reduce their risk of identity theft — and how to help them recover from the crime.

Drumroll, please! We've got a new national hero, or rather, heroes. Judges for the FTC Robocall Challenge selected two winners to share the $50,000 prize for Best Overall Solution to block illegal robocalls. Serdar Danis and Aaron Foss will each receive $25,000 for their proposals. Additionally, judges selected Daniel Klein and Dean Jackson from Google for the Robocall Challenge Technology Achievement Award. Organizations that employ 10 or more people were eligible for the Technology Achievement Award — there's no monetary prize, but there's all the glory that a National Hero status brings.